The Complete Brigadier: Playtest #1

Blimey!  The weight of Dice can be OPPRESSIVE!

So it was time to get The Complete Brigadier on the table, decades after the last time I played them.  The key motivation for me to play these again were:

- The great "FEEL" the game gives for the period due to writing orders using actual formations and movement rates for units [like the classic "Wooden Ships & Iron Men].

- There's very little chance / dice rolling in the mechanics of the game. 

The only time is for Command Casualties, where risk to the Complete Brigadier on the table is randomly rolled for, due to proximity to friendly units that took casualties. 

This raised an interesting question: "How much chance is enough for unpredictable historical possibilities, yet doesn't overwhelm historical tactics so that the sense of "playing a game" is greater than "re-enacting history?""

I have to admit, that seriously considering how much the dice impact games hadn't been a specific question on my mind until I re-read TCB.  Then I really wondered which is more realistic, deterministic mechanics or more chance-driven mechanics? My inclination is to add a little bit of chance to the morale and fire mechanics.  But I want to respect the game design and keep it virtually diceless.

I used One-Hour Wargames, scenario #25, "Infiltration":

Blue army, with 4 Units must cross the table diagonally from the lower left to the road at top right, and exit at least two units. Red starts with a unit on the hill [shaded area] and then gets reinforced by 2 Units from the North edge, then 3 from the South road entrance. Thus, Blue must hasten to exit before they are caught by superior forces, and will certainly have to fight their way through at least 2 Red units to do so. This scenario has been a challenge in every period and with any rules I've played it, and nicely balances a game of maneuver with a hard fight near Blue's exit point. I modified the reinforcement's arrival Turns due to a slower move rate in this game vs. the original 1HW rules.

Below, the Blue force: three infantry battalions and a small battery if 6lb guns. I'm using 15mm War of 1812 I inherited from the guys at the club. These are all Americans and I need to get Brits - soon. The Quality of the Units is Elite, Regular, Green, Elite [basically they're the British].

These will all enter, Turn 1, from the Southeast corner.

Facing South is the one Regular Red infantry battalion in bicornes on the hill [so Blue is entering from the left against it's right flank]. A sticky way to start what will be a hard day! The uniform is supposed to be the West Point cadet uniform, I think.

Entering from the North Turn 5 will be Red's blocking force, a Regular green battalion and two Elite 8lb guns.

Finally, Turn 10 two Green Quality grey battalions, and one Elite green battalion will arrive.  I see this force as the Americans.

I have no Red battalions - something I am working to remedy...

Turn 1 below, Blue enters the board with two battalions in Column of Divisions heading to the exit [top] the battery of guns moved Forward at the Double in a Column of Batteries and Unlimber within cannister range.  The last Blue unit entered close to the Red Unit as possible in a Column of Divisions.  All Infantry used the Quick [6"] or Double [8"] rates to get the right distances for the plan.

The two battalions will race to the exit point and engage the Red blocking force. The guns and one battalion will rout the Red unit on the hill, then follow up behind the other two battalions.

Red battalion forms Column of Divisions, Right, to face the enemy.

As all units moved or changed formation, there is no shooting.

As the Red Unit was "Threatened" by enemy units moving withing 10"...

...it has to check morale. This is calculated by figuring the various pluses and minuses.

...to get the correct column, then going down the column to the % strength of the unit. Each row is a 10% decrease, so the top is 90%+, the next row down is 80%+, etc. The Blue unit is feeling the threat, alone and unsupported they're on the "-1" column, so drop one level of morale from "C-onfident" [the best morale] to "F-irm", which is fully functional just not as good.

For Turn 2, I consider Charging the Red infantry with the Blue.  Blue is within Quick Rate and Target's Front arc...

...but will be disordered on the Gradual Slope for moving at the Quick rate. And you have to Charge at the Quick or Double Rate - unsurprisingly.

Some quick calculating reveals that Blue will lose the melee, being disordered v. a unit that is not.  

Also, Blue can't force an Encounter to drive Red off it's hill position, either; Red is not disordered so would Fire and Blue would form Line.

Turn 2, Blue continues with plan, Guns Fire cannister, infantry form Line.

Red forms Line, also.

Turn 3, Everyone Fires, the Red infantry are getting the worst of it, unsurprisingly.

Turn 4, Blue continues their plan. Red realizes that they are not going to stand this much longer - their morale drops to S-haken, which halves their fire effect. They need a way out of this Firefight, but there is very little a battalion can do once it exchanges Fire with an enemy Infantry unit.

Turn 5. After consulting the rules, Red does a Fall Back [always Double Rate], leaving Blue with no Target in the Fire Phase.

Turn 5, the Red blocking force also arrived. Blue is close, but not close enough to prevent them from blocking their road exit.

"Follow me, lads!" cries Brigadier Buffoonery, "Once more into The Breach!"

"Did he say we're going to the beach?" asks Private Snuffy. "Shut up" his pals explain...

Assessment of battle Phase 1.

* The Orders deliver a lot of realism for little effort - especially if you are familiar with the period's formations, rates, etc. Each Turn you can pretty much do only one thing - change formation, move, fire, etc. This keeps decisions simple and straightforward. 

*Paying Stamina for activities - Fire, moving at Quick or Double Rate - is a great reminder that units have limits of ammo, energy, mental strength, etc. 

*The restrictions for units in a Firefight [exchanging Fire] is very realistic [based on period accounts] and definitely something that has to be planned around. 

*The result that the Red Unit was forced to - voluntarily - flee, Shaken, off the hill is unsurprising. They were being Fired upon by two units, and Artillery cannister is effective. Most other Nap rules would deliver the same outcome, but without Orders, Stamina and the Firefight shaping events and choices.

Turn 6. Red and Blue form lines, the guns Move and Unlimber. Red infantry continue to move back to their reinforcements.

Blue Limbers and Moves guns, forms Column of Division and begins to follow the retreating Red unit. If they move at the normal March Rate [4"] they will avoid Disorder, which takes a turn to Reform from.  But they are falling behind. Decisions, decisions...

"There's the enemy!" cries Brig. Buffoonery. "We have met him and he is ours!"

Note: War of 1812 generalship was often very poor, especially with the amateur, unprepared Americans. No amount of humor can underscore this enough.

Turn 7. Blue infantry form line and advance upon the Red blocking force, which Fires at them.

Writing orders looks like this. Note that I'm writing orders ahead a couple turns whenever I have a chance so that if my generals get busy or have to intervene somewhere, the Units will continue some sort of plan.

Even though I'm writing for both sides, and this is a first game, I don't find it difficult as the Rules Summary pages have almost all the info I need. When they don't and I need to look something up about an Order, the extensive cross-referencing makes it quick.

Turn 8. Blue continues to chase after Red infantry and close on blocking force. Red continues to Fire.

Red blocking Units feel Threatened, and their Morale drops to Firm. They need more support, but this is a maneuver game not a set-piece battle, like so many in the War of 1812.

Turn 8, Red is getting their last freebie Fire in - Blue units check Morale for the Hits, and it drops to Firm for the same reasons - not enough support, taking unreturned Fire from the front and such.

Blue continues to pursue the retreating Red battalion. Blue Brigadier Biggles considers the Stamina situation carefully, and decides he has enough to turn up the pressure on the retreating Red infantry.

Turn 9. Blue advances a battalion Oblique and fires with the other one. In the space created, the guns unlimber within obvious Cannister range. He also Double-times the pursuing infantry so they are now clearly threatening the rear of the Red infantry who were planning to March to the line and About Face.  They should have marched faster, obviously [my bad].

Some punishing Cannister Fire causes the center Blue infantry to become Shaken. This halves their firepower, altho they are also in an Enfilade position against Red.

Brig. Biddles has his horse shot from under him, and cannot Move next Turn altho he may write Orders. This intervention was caused by my poor planning skills and desire to take advantage of the developing situation. Overall, was a good plan.

Turn 10, Blue charges rear of Red Infantry, who I am not handling well. There are lots of things to think about, I'm learning the rules as I go, and I'm overlooking some tactical possibilities while playing both sides - writing orders for 10 Units.  Red reinforcements arrive, and I move them at the Double, burning Stamina to save the blocking force. This has unexpected result of causing Red units to be Threatened as I got within 10".

After carefully checking the rules, I decide to intervene with Red General and force a melee result. Blue wins and then pursues which gets them farther from Red reinforcements.

Turn 10 is quite the whirlwind of activity! Red general has horse shot from under him, and can't Move but my give Orders next Turn.

I forgot that the Shaken Blue infantry getting plastered with Cannister has the option to Fall Back. Would that have been the best choice? Probably.

I seriously consider a Red Charge to force the green infantry back, which would allow Blue to link with his other unit and open the road exit. Quick look at the numbers doesn't seem good as they'll take a close range shot on the Charge.

Turn 11, the pressure continues from Blue. The Red bicorne Unit Breaks from the melee. Brig. Buffoonery breaks his sword using the flat of it to 'encourage' the men to stand firm. There's lots of Firing everywhere.

One rule I missed - there's a Fire Zone behind units where other units will be Hit from Fire passing through the front unit.  The Artillery lose a couple gunners due to being too close to their Blue Infantry, which is now Shaken.

Turn 12. Brig. Buffoonery has to Command Green to Rally on Me! to keep them in the line.  

Turn 12 view from Montgolfier Brothers Aerial Platform.  Blue succeeds in forming a line facing incoming Red reinforcements - just in time. I debated just running them off the table, but felt they were in such a great position behind the Red lines that surely they would be able to achieve something... Red's Elite Green infantry charges the flank of the poorly handled Blue Infantry [my fault] while Red closes in at the Double Rate.

Blue infantry are Broken and Retreat into their own Guns. They are pursued by the Elite Green [Rifles, most likely] which now have the option to charge the limbered Guns, the rear of the other Blue Infantry - which did succeed in driving back the Red Infantry beyond the road. Blue General is Wounded trying to keep the Greencoats in the fight.

Turn 13. The Red reinforcements manage to just barely win a melee result and drive the Blue unit off the board - an unfortunately turnaround after their successful drive over the hill pursuing and Breaking the Red bicornes. This also places them in a hammer-and-anvil against the last good order Blue unit, which has Red to the front and rear of them.

With all Blue Units in various stages of Broken, Shaken, surrounded by Red columns in good order, they won't be able to get anyone off the board except in no state to fight, so this will be a Red win - a bonus is that Red's general is also out of the fight!

Well, that was quite a bit of work, largely due to my lack of familiarity with the rules. While it was easy to look things up, processing what I was reading into decisions on the table was not always smooth - and there were some interruptions due to real life that caused me to forget things I was planning to do. Hey, it is a game, right!? 

Tactically, I clearly should have pushed the Blue units harder as they still had Stamina to burn when the Red wave of reinforcements crashed upon them. If they had arrived one or two turns earlier they could have really pressured the Red blockading force, perhaps even defeating it as it moved onto the table.  I'd have to play again to figure that out.  I can definitely say that if I had some Blue cavalry, they would have been able to maneuver in a more threatening manner.  But going with the War of 1812 theme, and not wanting to use more than two unit types - Infantry and Artillery - caused me to set aside cavalry for the orders of battle.

To Sum it All Up:

The Complete Brigadier is the most exciting set of rules I've brought to the table in years. It has a lot more realism, and plays a lot like what Duffy, Nosworthy Griffith, Keegan and Muir have to say about horse and musket warfare.  I think that someone with a couple games under their belt can easily handle two Brigades, but it would take a lot of experience to handle three brigades well, especially if one of them was cavalry.  I'd say the rules are medium complex, but will play like low complexity rules if one keeps the troops and scenario simple.

In Scenario #25, there was a lot of maneuvering required and I should have started with simple straight-up fights like Scenarios #1 and 2. But as I already had #25 on the table, I decided to just play that out. Eager to play my next game, which will stick with the War of 1812 one more time before I try out my other 15mm armies, which are Franco-Prussian War.

Overall, a big "thumbs-up!"  Highly recommended for all who see historical miniatures as a type of re-enactment in the form of a fun game.